Mission Statement

Adele Seronde, Advisor. Adele is the founder and President Emeritus of Gardens for Humanity.  A visionary, poet and painter, Adele’s passion for life and people directed her to bring some art form to each garden we’ve created.

Richard Sidy, M. Ed., President, has taught Spanish, French and Social Studies for more than thirty years.  He organized international exchanges to promote cultural awareness and service learning for students and teachers.  Serving in the Peace Corps, he worked in the Ivory Coast on rural development.  Richard continues to advocate progressive and sustainable education through writing and community activities.

Ruth Hartung, Vice-President, is co-founder and director of 7 Centers Yoga Arts in Sedona, Arizona and a teacher of yoga for 18 years.  She as served as President of the International Yoga College founded by Rama Jyoti Vernon.  In 2009 Ruth co-founded the Sedona Community Farmer’s Market.

Jan Wind, Treasurer, earned her B.S. in Limnology and a B.A. in Accounting from the University of Central Florida.  Seeking to mend the planet and all beings through the binding of hearts, minds and spirits she created her business, Sedona Earth and Wind LLC.

Rose Marie Licher, Advisor, a Sedona resident for the past twenty seven years, is a founding board member of Gardens for Humanity and Treasurer Emeritus.  Though raised in the city (Wichita, Kansas), summers on her grandparents farm helped her appreciate farming and the natural world. She earned a B.S. from Oklahoma University and her Master’s from MIT.

Jennifer Taron, Secretary, an avid gardener and lover of nature.  She has served Gardens for Humanity for four years and brings over 26 years of professional business development and administrative experience to the organization.

Jacques Seronde is a northern Arizona resident for forty years, earned his B.S. in Plant Biology from Northern Arizona University and is a founding board member of Gardens for Humanity.  For over 30 years Jacques has worked with Native American and rural communities, schools and governments on strategic planning, education and training to support land, water and natural resource management.

C. Benson Hufford, Statutory Agent for Gardens for Humanity, is founder and Senior partner of Hufford, Horstman, Mongini, Parnell & Tucker, P.C..

Jerry Honawa, a Hopi Village Elder from Hotevilla, Arizona, is the Clan Patriarch of the Rabbit-Tobacco Clan and has also served as Cultural Advisor and Administrative Consultant for Black Mesa Trust in Kykotsmovi, Arizona.

Steve DeVol launched Sedona’s first commercial independent television station via the Sedona channel.  A Sedona resident since 1987 he is an award winning documentary filmmaker and photographer.  He has been active with Keep Sedona Beautiful for 10 years and is its current president.

Don Piper teaches the capstone course for the “Sustainable MBA” at Bainbridge Graduate Institute. Previously, Don was a Mentor-in-Residence at the McGuire Entrepreneurship Program, Eller College of Management, University of Arizona, in Tucson, Arizona.   In 2007, he was recognized by Fortune Small Business and CNN/Money as “top in the field by colleagues, students and entrepreneurs.” 

Chris Anderson specializes in Permaculture Design and Rainwater Catchment Systems.  He is Vice President of Eden on Earth, LLC, an ecological landscaping company creating abundant and edible landscapes.  Chris co-created a mobile environmental education program for school children in Appalachian Ohio where he was raised.

Juliet Stone is Director of Programs of the Boston Schoolyard Initiative. This pre-K through high school program has improved over seventy schoolyards across Boston’s many diverse neighborhoods.  Julie organizes and helps maintain the award winning Christian Herter Garden along the Charles River and has been a Gardens for Humanity board member since.

 

To accomplish our goals we have three committees: Public Gardens, Education, and Agricultural Renaissance. These committees are responsible for initiating projects in the community and bringing together resources to develop gardens of beauty, food production and sustainable environmental practices.

Read our inspiring story about past projects, our awards, and our vision.

Find out more about our current events and news.